What happened that night
by BizarreBard
Summary: My first ever story,kind of a love triangle between Ares, Gabby, and Xena with a twist. There's death, love, heartbreak, warlord goodness. Sorry not much of a summary read and let me know if I should finish and what you think.Rating may change. X/A G/A XG, On break while I try to find inspiration to decide what to do next, feedback and suggestions are great.


**Disclaimer:**** I own absolutely nothing!**

**Authors note: Flashbacks are in italics  
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Gabrielle breathed in softly, staring up into the moonlight. The fire crackled and all around she listened to the music of the forest in which she made her camp. She closed her eyes letting the moonlight wash over her and enjoyed the sensation of the warm wind caressing her soft light skin. From a distance the young bard looked content but up closer you could just make out the tears rolling down her cheeks as the camp fire roared and the loneliness hit her again. "By the gods." she sobbed softly. It was a night filled with beauty, a night that would normally ignite the fire of inspiration inside the young bards soul, a beauty made hollow by the depth of her solitude. Nights like these she wished she still had Xena, her best friend and soul mate, the inspiration for so many of her stories. Gabrielle had spent the last two years traveling trying to heal and move on without Xena. The flames of the campfire rose higher. The memory came rushing back with sudden clarity, it was a battle that had gone wrong...

_Gabrielle rolled out of the way as the sword came at her, the man stumbled forward with the force of his swing, as he stumbled past her Gabrielle brought her staff down on the back of his head with tremendous force, knocking him out. A group of men had come upon their camp while they were sleeping and had attacked. The sound of the men charging had awoken the two women and Gabrielle had not fully come to her senses when she felt a hand grab her shoulder, she instinctively brought the butt of her staff backwards, knocking the owner of the hand a few steps back, there was a grunt of surprise and then a cry of pain which sounded like Xena! Still half asleep and confused Gabrielle whirled around just in time to see a man pulling his sword from the back of her love, who now lay face down gasping on the forest floor. All of the other men had retreated leaving only him, one look from the bard was enough to send him running. Gabrielle went to Xena, kneeling down beside the older women before turning her onto her back and cradling her in her arms. The sword had run all the way through, blood was flowing from her chest and back, it had pierced her lung. Xena was choking on her own blood! Gabrielle frantically tried to remember what Xena had taught her to do with a wound like this but in her panic could not recall. She stared in horror when Xena tried to speak and blood bubbled from her lips. This couldn't be happening! Gabrielle got lost in the fading light of her lovers ice blue eyes, which were locked upon her own, emerald green sparkled with tears as Xena the warrior princess passed from this life in the arms of her soul mate. _

_Gabrielle sat like that for the rest of the night, crying and begging the gods to let this be a dream, it had all happened so fast, it was so surreal. "Well well, I always knew you'd get her killed sooner or later." Gabrielle's eyes snapped up to see Ares appear, standing in front of her with a cruel, cold smile. "How does it feel blondie? Knowing you let her die, that your the one who pushed her into the blade?" Gabrielle cried harder, knowing the war god spoke the truth, knowing she was responsible for this. Ares bent down next to the bard and she watched him with curiosity. She saw him gasp when he saw her face, noticing her open eyes. He angrily closed them. He began to stroke the black hair when Gabrielle slapped his hand away. "Don't touch her." He pulled his hand back and Gabrielle was surprised to hear him say "I'm sorry Gabrielle, I'm so sorry." and with a snap of his fingers he was gone, taking Xena's body with him. _

_Gabrielle was outraged. "Ares you bastard, bring her back!" She screamed until her throat became raw, she crawled to Xena's bedroll and lay there sobbing, crying and whispering Xena's name until she fell asleep. Gabrielle awoke to a hand brushing her cheek, she opened her eyes to find herself face to face with the goddess of love. "Hey Aphrodite." she greeted her friend as she pulled herself into a sitting position and looked around, assuming she could only be in the goddesses room on mount Olympus. Everywhere she looked she saw pink or red and fluffy, fitting the goddess of loves bright personality. Gabrielle's eyes hurt and she had a massive headache, her vision was a little blurry and so something looked different about the goddess but the pain in her head kept her from concentrating.. "Oh Dite, I had such a horrible dream, wait...Aphrodite wheres Xena?" Aphrodite wrapped her friend in a gentle hug, "Oh sweet pea, I'm so sorry." Realizing it wasn't a dream after all Gabrielle flung her arms around her friend, returning the embrace. She cried as the goddess held her, desperately needing the comfort the woman offered. They lay down on the bed like that, the goddess comforting one of the only mortals that she ever cared about. Eventually Gabrielle fell back asleep and Aphrodite gently slipped out of the bed, sitting on a chair a few feet away. "How Is she?" a deep voice croaked from behind, Aphrodite didn't turn around, knowing it was her brother Ares who spoke. "Not so good." she answered in a shaky voice. Ares noticed and was concerned. "__What's wrong sis?" Aphrodite took a deep breath trying to figure out how to explain. " Gabrielle and Xena are the only two mortals I've ever cared about. They are special to me, as the goddess of love I have a personal connection to them. I feel everything they feel. I felt the sword go through, I felt Xena slip away. I feel every bit of pain in Gabrielle's heart as if it were my own." A confused look spread across the war gods face, "People's hearts break everyday but I've never seen you like this." Aphrodite let out a sad sigh, "True, if every broken heart had this effect on me I couldn't handle it. No, the reason this hurts me so much, these two are true soul mates, one of a kind. Their love is stronger than most, it is my greatest gift and my greatest weakness, for I experience the good and the bad with them. Soul mates are tied directly to me and the fates._

"_No wonder she's always so crabby when Xena and Blondie fight." Ares thought to himself. He walked over to bed and stared at the sleeping bard. There were dark circles under her eyes and she seemed to have aged a lifetime since last night. She was beautiful and annoying. A thorn in his side, he would never admit it but he liked the little bard. She was fiery, passionate, smart and had become quite the warrior traveling with Xena. He knew what Xena saw in her because he saw it too. She was amazing but he had never been able to get over the fact that Xena chose her over him, his jealousy prevented him from thinking of her as anything more than an annoying obstacle. He turned around to face Aphrodite and wished he hadn't. His normally bright and bubbly sister was gone, replaced by the polar opposite, she had never looked like this before and it shocked him. Instead of her normal pink, every inch of her normally exposed skin was covered from head to toe in black mourning garb. Tears sprang from her grief blackened eyes and silently rolled down her cheeks. She looked so old, as if the centuries of living had rushed to catch up with her body. Gone was the healthy, happy young woman she had always appeared to be, sitting in front of him was an old woman, whose face held such deep despair. Once smooth skin now a map of wrinkles, bright yellow hair now a dull gray. Aphrodite sensed her brothers surprise at her appearance. "Love is what keeps a person eternally young. Heartbreak withers the soul and makes you feel old and look old. Love gives you a youthful glow. At the moment I am the living mirror of Gabrielle's heartbreak. As her heart mends I will go back to my old self."_

_Ares could face his sister no longer, he said goodbye and went back to his quarters. She was the only family who had accepted him, his obsession with Xena had driven the others away. He felt responsible for the state his sister was in but refused to abandon his plan. He reassured himself that she would get better with Gabrielle. All he had to do to help his sister was get Gabrielle over this whole thing._

_Gabrielle lazily started to get up,she slowly opened her eyes and let out a gasp at the sight of Aphrodite. She had listened to the gods talk but wasn't prepared to see her like this. She felt even worse knowing it was because of her and made up her mind to do something about it. She would not sit around and mope, Xena had died before and come back, there was no reason she couldn't bring her back again. Her mood tremendously lifted at this thought and she noticed Aphrodite's hair turned from gray to dull yellow. So her happiness really was tied to her friends appearance, that gave her extra motivation. Aphrodite was surprised but pleased her friend was doing a little better. She gave the bard a hug and asked what she planned to do now. Gabrielle asked to go back to camp where she could start her journey and figure out how to get Xena back, she would leave Greece and look for anyway she could think of. Once back at camp she said goodbye and started packing up..._

Gabrielle looked into the fire as the memory faded. That had been two years ago and since then she had been everywhere and had tried everything, even visiting Hades in the underworld but that had turned out to be a complete waste of time, he had insisted Xena wasn't in the underworld. Nights like these made her think of Xena and brought back the old memories.

Gabrielle became aware of someone beside her and looked around. Aphrodite was sitting there with a big smile on her face. Gabrielle looked the goddess of love up and down, impressed with the change. "Hey Dite, looking good." Over time Gabrielle had come to terms with Xena's death and consoled herself with the fact that they were soul mates and were destined to meet again in another life. As Gabrielle had gotten better Aphrodite had returned to her almost naked, happy, sweet self. Aphrodite tackled the bard with a bear hug, she was ecstatic to be herself again but even more happy that the bards heart had healed. Gabrielle laughed as she hugged back, happy to see the goddess. " So what brings the goddess of love to my little campfire? I'm sure you have better things to do." Aphrodite smiled. "Well sweet pea, I figured it was time for a girls night out, we haven't had one since we oil wrestled those twins." Gabrielle smiled at the memory, it was the day they had started to become good friends, pretending to be twins to get into a party where they found themselves wrestling two handsome men. There was never a dull moment when Aphrodite wanted to have fun. "Well what do you have in mind Dite?"

With a snap of godly fingers they found themselves in the midst of a huge party in the middle of mt. Olympus. Gabrielle let out a gasp at the sight of the gods, they were barely dressed, all seemed to be dressed like well...like Aphrodite. "Um whats with the lack of clothing?" Aphrodite laughed and explained it was her birthday celebration and she had picked the dress to reflect her style. "By the way, you look pretty good in almost nothing." The goddess winked as Gabrielle looked herself up and down. She was dressed in an outfit that matched Aphrodite's exactly, pink, frilly, almost no covering. Gabrielle sighed, "Is there any chance you'll change me back into my own clothes?" She saw the glint of amusement in her friends eyes and knew she was stuck in her current outfit. Aphrodite pulled her out to the dance floor before Gabrielle could protest her clothing any further. She danced with the goddess of love and couldn't help but to enjoy herself, it wasn't often a mortal got to party with the gods. As the song ended they went to grab a few drinks from the refreshment table. Gabrielle took a sip and was amazed at how good it tasted. "This is the best wine I've ever had. Where did you get it?" Aphrodite took a sip from her own cup before answering, "Its a specialty of Dionysus. He made it just for the party. There's nothing like wine straight from the wine god himself." They sat drinking and gossiping for awhile before Aphrodite left her to dance with Hephaestus.

Gabrielle was taking a drink when Ares appeared in front of her and the sight of him made her spit her drink out. Thoughts were running through her head and she had to stop herself from bursting out in laughter. The mighty god of war was dressed in nothing but a pair of pink fluffy boxers, he had a drink in his hand and a grin on his face. "Ares. I never thought I would see you like this." She looked him up and down and thought to herself " Look at those abs! I'd like to touch those...Wait, what was she thinking? This was ARES she was thinking about." As the bard was looking him over he took his chance to do the same. She had soft light skin, light blonde hair and a strength that was alluring, she was well muscled as befits an Amazon queen. She was something special, different from Xena but the same allure drew him to her. Her green eyes traveled to his face and caught his own, he looked away quickly. "Hey blonde, its been awhile, miss me?" Ares asked with a laugh. He was truly happy to see her. After he had taken Xena's body from her she had been very hostile towards him, not that he blamed her. He had followed her on her travels, to the underworld and even out of Greece. He followed her to keep her safe, he owed it to Xena but also to help her heal, for Aphrodite's sake. Eventually he had made his presence known to her and she had been outraged and told him to leave He didn't though, he stubbornly stayed by her side and eventually they warmed up to each other. They talked about everything that had happened between themselves and Xena, they talked about what had made them enemies. They came to understand each other, hell, they were friends now and it was still weird. Gabrielle got up and look at Ares "Lets go somewhere more quiet, I'd love to catch up." Ares extended his arm and Gabrielle accepted, he led her out of the party room and towards his room in Olympus.

They entered his room and Gabrielle took in her surroundings. This place was huge. The walls were black as was the floor, the bed was a king size situated in the middle of the room, the bedding was crimson red. There was one wall completely devoted to war, it was covered with mounted swords, axes, and various other weapons she had never seen, there were suits of armor on either side of the doorway. On the other side of the room was a training area, a giant mirror covered the wall so Ares could watch his moves as he trained. The only place to sit was the bed so they settled themselves on the bed in a sitting position and got comfortable. They talked for hours, each drinking from their auto refilling wine cups. The conversation died out a little and they were surprised to find themselves laying down on the bed, they had unconsciously shifted positions during the course of there talking. Maybe it was the wine, maybe they were both tired of being lonely. Gabrielle lay very close to the war god and he caught her eyes.

Her eyes were beautiful, two living emerald stones shining with the strength of the warrior she had grown into. They showed her strength, her core soul, they showed everything about her, everything that attracted him, everything that attracted Xena. She was holding his gaze, a challenge in her eyes daring him to start what they both knew had been coming. She moved closer to him so they were almost touching. He pulled her the rest of the way, feeling the soft skin of her bare stomach against his muscular torso.

Gabrielle thought about what she was doing, Ares had put her through a lot, she hated him but she felt something else for him...love? She didn't know about that but she did know she was curious about being with him. She had only ever slept with her husband Perdicus and Xena. Part of her curiosity was owed to Xena, she had been with Ares, Gabrielle wanted to experience what once appealed to Xena, the body of the war god, besides it had been awhile since she'd been close to someone, she could see the plan in his eyes but then again she had one herself. She was using him to satisfy her curiosity, to know what Xena had felt, she knew it was wrong but she never did anything for herself, just this once she was going to relax and do something for herself.

"Well this is a rewarding way to keep her distracted." Ares thought to himself. The feel of her skin on his excited him. He ran his hands up and down her body enjoying the feeling. He began to think about their past relationship, wondering how it had come to this. When Xena left him he had to see the person who had stolen her. When he first laid eyes upon her he had been annoyed, she was an inexperienced little village girl, and by the gods she was annoying when she opened her mouth. She ruined every plan he made to get Xena back. They hated each other but had been forced to work together on several occasions. Gradually he had come to see how valuable she could be as one of his warriors, she was stubborn in her beliefs. The first time he had thought of her as anything but annoying was the night they shared a bed on Xena's farm, he was mortal then and ever since that night he had wondered about the bard, she was normally so controlled, so set in her ways, what kind of lover was she?

He hungered to taste what Xena found so attractive. She moaned as his hands found the right spot, it was time he got a taste. He rolled over so he was above her, straddling her. Her eyes brightened with surprise as his lips found hers and they finally got a taste of each other, the kiss ignited a passion both had long been missing. They struggled to remove what little clothing they had on. Gabrielle maneuvered herself into the top position, surprising Ares with her boldness, she crushed his protest with a fiery kiss, her hands tangling into his hair. They struggled for dominance, the war god finally pinning her to the bed, he kissed her greedily starting at her neck and heading down until she gasped and begged for him, she needed to feel close to someone again, needed to be apart of someone. They moaned simultaneously as they finally satiated their curiosity...

Ares was still panting when Gabrielle fell asleep. "That was...wow." he thought to himself. He hadn't expected her to be so... passionate and so forceful in what she wanted. She was truly something to experience. He definitely wasn't disappointed, it was nice to see the fire in her again. He finally got to know what allure she held for Xena physically, besides the looks, and he had to hand it to her, she had good taste. He was a god and trust me he'd been with a lot of women but Xena and her lover...they were something else completely. As much as he would love to try it again he knew the party would be over soon and was not in the mood to explain this scene to his sister if she came looking for them. He woke Gabrielle up and she sleepily got dressed, as did he. She tried to crawl back into his bed to sleep but he picked her up and carried her to his sisters room across the hall, laying her down on Aphrodite's bed before heading back to his room to think.

Gabrielle's eyes were still closed when she felt someone move in the bed beside her. Her head was pounding and she wished she hadn't had so much wine although her and Ares little experiment had made it worse, though she hadn't felt it until now. "Hey Ares how about healing the headache your performance helped to make?" She heard a loud gasp and opened her eyes to see Aphrodite staring at her." Ares! Get over here right now!" Aphrodite yelled for her brother angrily. Ares appeared ready to face the inevitable. He looked at Gabrielle's nervous face and gave her a wink which only made Aphrodite angrier. He had expected this, Gabrielle was suppose to be off limits since Aphrodite considered the blonde one of her most important friends, also Ares knew his sister had a little crush on the bard, even though she'd never admit it. "What did you do?" The goddess of love was almost red with her anger, she was very protective over the little bard, she had claimed the blonde and Ares had no right to her. Ares was about to open his mouth to say it was mutual but then he caught the feeling of panic and Gabrielle's face and knew she was angry with herself for upsetting her friend. He figured he'd help her out and take the blame, there was no need for both of them to get the fire of Aphrodite's anger. "Well sis, those little drinks at your party help work wonders when it comes to seduction. I couldn't help myself, you know how men are, after a few drinks Blondie here was easy to convince." Ares smiled mischievously "Thanks for the party sis, it was...memorable" and with that he left Olympus to attend to his duties.

Gabrielle couldn't believe it, Ares had taken all the blame. She looked at Aphrodite expecting to see anger but was surprised to find sadness in her eyes. "I'm sorry Gabby. I shouldn't have left you alone at the party. This is all my fault." Tears started to well up in her eyes and Gabrielle immediately felt horrible. She put her hands on Aphrodite's face and made it so they were looking at each other. "It's ok Dite, please don't cry, I'm sorry about what happened between Ares and I. I know you just want to protect me." Aphrodite caught the bards eyes and Gabrielle was shocked. She recognized the look, the goddess of love was heartbroken. "Aphrodite..." Gabrielle wasn't sure what to say, she was confused at the heartbroken expression. Aphrodite relished the feel of the hands on her face, slowly she leaned forward until her face was just inches away from the bards. "I love you." she whispered then closed the distance with a kiss, soft, full of love and longing. She pulled away and with one last look at Gabrielle she said goodbye and snapped her fingers.

Gabrielle found herself back in camp, her thoughts were racing. "Aphrodite just kissed me...I broke her heart. I had sex with Ares...Oh my gods I had sex with Ares! What in Tartarus had I been thinking? And to top it all off I hurt the goddess of love, my friend, although to be fair I had no idea how she felt about me... That's it! I'm swearing off godly parties, no more special wine for me."

Ares thought about his night with Gabrielle. She would hate him when she found out what he had done with Xena. He had worked on this plan for so long, it had been hard to bring himself to decide to kill Xena. He remembered ordering the small group of soldiers to attack the sleeping women, he remembered taking the shape of one and stabbing her as Gabrielle reflexively hit Xena with her Staff. After wards when he went to retrieve her body her open eyes had caught him off guard, they penetrated him and seemed to accuse him of what he had done. He regretted looking at Gabrielle because he knew the pain she was feeling. He had tasted her last night, she had been vulnerable to him and he to her. Yes she would hate him and it had to be. However he aimed to keep her oblivious as long as he could. Gabrielle was the one person who he believed could ruin all his plans. He thought more about that night...

"_I'm so sorry Gabrielle." With a snap of his fingers he and Xena were gone. He could hear the bards curses and demands that he bring her back but he blocked her out as he made his way to the underworld. Hades looked up as his brother approached, carrying the body of Xena. "What do you want Ares?" Ares smiled, it was time reclaim what was his. "I'm here to collect on your debt to me. You bring Xena back to life for me, no memories of Gabrielle or turning good. I want my Warrior Princess back." Hades sighed, he didn't like owing debts and this was not a favor he was excited to grant. He remembered the Xena Ares loved, she had kept him quite busy, this was going to increase his workload substantially. Hades was annoyed with his brother "Lets get this over with..."_

She look beautiful as she wreaked havoc. She was cruel, viscous, bloodthirsty, but smart and cunning as well. A perfect combination of blood lust and brains, she had always been his greatest warrior. Looking at her now there was no trace of the woman she had been with Gabrielle, this was entirely his Xena, Hades had done good. Xena sheathed her sword while watching Ares walk towards her. Ares stopped just in front of her, overcome with a sudden ravenous desire for this dark haired killer, he found it hard to concentrate on words. Her body had him tongue tied but as she herself was staring at him she didn't notice his lack of speech. She looked him up and down admiring the well muscled physique of the War god. Ares chuckled "Liking what you see? I know I am." Xena's eyes snapped back to his face, noting his lust filled gaze. "Nice of you to drop by Ares, enjoying my work?" Ares stepped closer, pressing against her, "There's nothing like war to get the blood flowing." Xena backed up, there was time for this later, right now she wanted to gather her army and get moving to her next destination. "Later Ares, I want to get on my way to Potadia. Ares blinked in surprise "Why there?" Xena thought a moment before she answered. "There's something about it, drawing me almost. I feel like somethings missing and I think it has to do with that place. Besides it'll be an easy victory and a supply replacement point for my army." Ares didn't like the sound of that, he wracked his brain trying to remember why that place would draw her, then it hit him. Gabrielle, it was her home. His thoughts raced "She doesn't remember Gabrielle but is attracted to her home. This could be trouble for him if word reached Gabrielle that her dead lover had attacked her village. Especially since he knew Gabrielle was heading back to Potadia. Suddenly he realized Xena was still talking and his attention shifted back to her words. "There are other villages along the way, we'll hit those to so it will take awhile to reach Potadia, about two weeks." Ares nodded his consent before heading back to Mount Olympus, he had a lot to think about.

A few nights later Xena and her army stopped to make camp for the evening. They had traveled straight for two days and were due for rest. Xena got her commanders tent set up fast and immediately drifted off to sleep...

_Xena felt a slight movement as another body slipped into her bedroll, she felt a small pair of arms wrap around her and opened her eyes. Her ice blue eyes were staring into the eyes of a young blonde woman, who Xena thought was very beautiful. The woman had deep emerald green eyes that were staring at her with love and something else that surprised Xena who had never seen the girl look at anyone like this and she couldn't figure out why it was directed towards her. The blonde moved closer so their bodies were touching and Xena's eyes bulged in shock. "Where are your clothes?"_

Xena jerked awake as morning light hit the sky, still feeling the shock she looked around for the young woman and it took her a moment to realize it had been a dream. It had been so vivid, she could still see the young woman's face and was surprised to realize it made her smile. Xena continued to think about the woman as she packed up her tent. It had seemed so familiar. "Stupid Dream." She growled as she finished what she was doing. Xena stiffened as she felt a strong pair of arms snake their way around her waist and relaxed when she heard Ares. "Barely morning and your already getting ready to move, I just love a woman with dedication." Xena smirked "I thought all women caught your eye." Ares twirled her around so they were face to face "Your the only one who knows how to keep it," and with that he bent down and placed a hungry kiss on her lips, she responded with fervor as they sank to the ground. "Looks like my army's going to have a late start thi- her words were cut off as a moan escaped her lips.

They had made little progress by the time Xena's army settled down for camp that night. Xena's morning with Ares had lasted longer than anticipated and they had only been on the road a few hours when they decided to set up camp. Visions of the blonde woman swirled around in her head as she fell asleep...

_A nervous smile appeared on the woman's face when she saw Xena's shocked expression. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for the confession she was about to make, they had known each other for years and she was terrified but could no longer stand being so close to the woman she loved and not having her feelings made clear. "Xena...I need you to know how I feel, what I think when I see you. Somewhere in between our adventures and our peaceful nights laying under the stars I started to look at you and see so much more. I realized that when you look at me I feel warm and nervous and when you hug me I feel complete, I love everything about you and I couldn't believe that there was a time when I didn't even know you, Your the inspiration for my scrolls, you reinforce my ideals that no matter what there is light and dark in a person and people can overcome their hatred to be a better person. You've helped so many but most of all...you made me feel the way I do, made me know what it feels like to fall in love. I'm here tonight because I had to know what you feel, the next move is yours, I just hope that no matter what we can still be close, I love you." Having finished her declaration the woman looked away nervously feeling exhilarated and terrified. Xena's thoughts raced around her mind, she could not believe what she had just heard. She had dreamed about this many times and couldn't believe it was real. The shock wore off and she was overwhelmed with joy. Xena had been drawn to her from the first time they met, she had come to know the girl and found so many things she loved. The girl was admirable, brave, kind, and what really attracted Xena was the girls unwavering belief that good resided in every heart, it was just hard to find sometimes. It was her who had saved Xena from herself, showing her unwavering affection and devotion. Xena had been in love from the beginning but didn't think she deserved to be happy. After receiving no reply the younger woman started to blurt out an apology and was suddenly tackled to the ground. She looked up and was shocked to see Xena smiling down at her, ice blue eyes lit with joy. "I've been waiting for this you know." and with that Xena finally did what she had wanted to do for so long, she kissed the woman then pulled back to study her reaction. The little blonde stared open mouthed at the dark haired woman who had her pinned to the ground. She had never dared to hope that Xena would feel the same way, quickly recovering from her shock she pulled the other woman's face back down to hers, staring in her eyes before giving her a kiss. It started out softly then became more passionate, desire flaring as it was finally released. The need for air finally forcing them to break the kiss..._

Xena woke up gasping for breath, her body ached with desire, she looked for the woman, wanting to resume their...activities. Annoyance hit her as she realized it was just another dream, only this one was even more realistic than the last and the woman's face once again danced in her thoughts. "Damn dreams." she growled. She hated this aching need the dreams left her with, nothing helped, not even her nights with Ares could satisfy her. She ached for the woman in her dreams and it was driving her crazy. She couldn't have someone that only existed in her dreams. The more she tried to satiate her need the stronger the ache became which put her in a foul mood and her troops taking notice of this avoided her when they could. She stalked around camp barking orders to pack up, dreams or no dreams she had ground to cover.

Gabrielle stared at the fire as she lay in her bedroll thinking of her destination. It had been a long time since she had been home or seen her family, she was nervous and excited. She smiled as she thought about how happy her sister Lila would be, they had been best friends until Gabrielle had run off to follow Xena. She knew Lila had been jealous but eventually had accepted her sisters choice. Turning away from the firelight Gabrielle closed her eyes for the night, eager to begin her journey again in the morning, she was still about a week away from Potidaea. Gabrielle fell asleep to the sound of the crackling fire...

_Xena woke up gasping for breath, once again looking for the blonde woman and not finding her. "Gods damn these dreams!"She yelled in frustration. She was a week away from Potidaea and was having these intense dreams every night, leaving her irritable and restless. Xena dressed herself in her favorite armor, a leather battledress, spiked gauntlets and pauldrons and a bronze breastplate, all of which were a gift from Ares, then went to make sure her men were ready for the assault on the village a few miles up the road. She was in a foul mood and spilling some blood was exactly what she needed. Her eyes turned to ice as her battle lust rose in anticipation of the bloodshed to come..._

Gabrielle jerked awake, horrified by her dream of Xena as her warlord self. It was morning now and the fire had died during the night, Argo whinnied when she sensed Gabrielle was awake. Clearing her head of the dream she looked around and admired the day. It was warm and sunny, the kind of day she and Xena had loved to wake up too. Gabrielle's nervousness about her journey came back as she thought of how long it had been since the last time she saw her family, it had been before Xena died two years ago, she hadn't even written to them. She was ashamed that she hadn't let her family know she was alright. Gabrielle missed them terribly and was certain they missed her too, she was ready to face whatever chastisement they felt she deserved, she was about a week away from Potidaea but only a day away from the next village. After breakfast she and Argo were on their way.

Xena washed off the last of the blood and looked around where she would be staying for the night. After they had taken over the village she had decided they would camp there for the night, she herself taking the town inn as her personal quarters for the duration of their stay. She gave her men the rest of the night to enjoy themselves, thinking that they would stay here for a couple of days, taking time to rest and restock on supplies. Xena was in a much better mood having vented her built up tension in battle. Xena relaxed and spent her time planning what to do after Potadia , eventually drifting off to sleep...

Gabrielle stopped as she saw all the smoke rising from the village, she left Argo and crept cautiously towards the village using the woods for cover, stopping just t the edge of the trees to look around. The village was almost destroyed and bodies of the village people lay in piles all around. Gabrielle stifled a gasp as two soldiers stepped out from a hut a few feet away from where she hid. Gabrielle grimaced as the smell of unwashed skin and alcohol hit her. The men, not noticing her, began to talk and were soon joined by five others. They were arguing about the best way to kill when another man dressed in officers armor walked up, the others grew quiet at his approach, ready to listen. "This has been a nice little rest but Lord Xena wants you all ready to leave first thing tomorrow morning, no heavy drinking tonight." Gabrielle could not help the cry of surprise she let out at hearing Xena's name.

All the soldiers turned to where she was hiding and she knew she was in trouble. She broke cover, charging straight at the men stunning them. Before they even were aware of what was happening three of them were knocked unconscious by the bards staff. Having recovered from their initial shock the remaining soldiers screamed out as they all rushed her at once. Normally Gabrielle would have been able to take care of them without trouble but she was traveling all day, her exhaustion slowing down her reflexes. They formed a circle around her and she knew she was in trouble. She was distracted by the soldiers in front of her when one of the men behind her took the opportunity to catch her off guard. He grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arms around her neck, choking off the air to her lungs. She pried at his hands but to no avail, eventually passing out from lack of oxygen. The man loosened his grip and surrendered the woman to two soldiers giving them orders to take her to the prisoners tent and have Linos stand guard. Lykaon turned away from the men and made his way back to his temporary quarters, deciding it was better to tell Xena of the prisoner in the morning.

Gabrielle groaned as she woke up, her throat felt raw, she lifted her head and took in her surroundings. Her hands and feet were tightly chained, allowing her no movement. She was in a tent and there was a man in the corner. He was big and burly, he looked dirty and mean. He had no hair and his face was cruel and marred with angry red scars, adding to the intimidation his presence caused.

She closed her eyes trying to think of a way out of her current situation, they flew open again as she felt a hand touch her cheek. She found herself face to face with the man, he had an evil smile and the cold black eyed of a predator. His voice dripped with menace as he spoke. "Such a pretty little thing, think you can scream for me?" Without warning he punched her, the force of the blow snapping her head back and drawing blood from her lips, yet she did not cry out. He struck her twice more, with greater force. Loosing his temper he lit into her, striking her repeatedly until he tired. She hadn't cried out once and he laughed in amusement, it looked like she was going to be a challenge. He was going to have a fun night with this one, he was determined to make her scream. "Now where did I put my dagger?"

Gabrielle breathed a sigh of relief as the man left. Her body hurt everywhere, the man had enjoyed beating her, trying to make her scream for mercy. She held in her cries, she would not give him the satisfaction. Xena had once told her never to let them know how much it hurt you, once you did they would get bored of you and your life would probably end. Her eyes had been closed but opened again as she heard the man re-enter the tent now holding a dagger. Gabrielle closed her eyes again, bracing herself for what was to come. He smiled as he drew the blade across her soft skin. He enjoyed how the bright red lines of blood stood out starkly against her pale skin.

Xena woke up from yet another passionate dream, she was getting sick of this. Needless to say her mood was not the best that morning when her second in command Lykaon gave her the news that they had taken a prisoner last night. She ordered the prisoner to be brought to the inn and left there under guard while she took a bath in the washroom of the inn. Lykaon gave the order for the prisoner to be brought to the inn and left to go check on supplies. Assured that her command was being carried out Xena went to bathe, the prisoner would be there when she came back. Two soldiers deposited a beaten,bloody and unconscious Gabrielle face down on the floor of the inn. They stood guard until Xena came back and they were dismissed. Xena looked at the unconscious form lying on her floor, it looked like Linos had enjoyed himself, she was covered in dried blood and her skin was black and blue with bruises, her short blonde hair messy. "Time to see what this prisoner looks like." Xena thought as she turned the woman over. She saw the face from her dreams and was frozen in shock and confusion.


End file.
